In our ever-polarized society, we are continuously invited to meditate on family values. Thus, when a Hollywood veteran like Mike Fleiss brings family to the professional sphere, one can’t help but note the cultural implication. Fleiss, whose IMDb credits reflect an impressive span across the horror genre, is taking a fresh turn by joining forces with his son, Aaron, on a new film called “Possessions.”
Though a law practitioner by day, Aaron Fleiss has stepped into the horror niche, operating in collaboration with his father and Paperclip, the production company headed by Yeardley Smith and Ben Cornwell. The film’s plot revolves around a widower and his son who encounter spectral dilemmas as they assume control of a seemingly benign storage facility. The narrative has an eerie parallel with the Fleiss’s own family endeavor. This dual role of father and collaborator suggests not only a bond strengthened by shared work but also a kind of dynastic aspiration, reminiscent of Kennedy or Bush, only with a Hollywood touch.
In an age of cancel culture and ideological purity tests, one must ask what significance to attach to these family ventures in the broader context of the entertainment world. On one hand, it could be interpreted as a heartening antidote to the post-modern fragmentation of family structures. On the other hand, one could see it as a manifestation of a narrow elite monopolizing opportunities.
The second notable revelation from Fleiss is the planned adaptation of the “Hostel” franchise to a television series. Originally penned by Eli Roth and Chris Briggs, who are reuniting to script the TV adaptation, the Hostel series exemplifies the American horror archetype at its most terrifyingly materialistic: the commodification of human fear, a perfect metaphor for late capitalism.
This transposition from big screen to small is also laden with socio-cultural implications. It reflects a strategic economic diversification but also embodies the rapidly altering state of film consumption, from communal theater experiences to solitary streaming in a bedroom. It shows an intelligent foresight into media trends, realizing that screen size might change but the thirst for narrative – for story – is eternal.
So, as Fleiss’s new movie ventures and TV adaptations unfurl, they tell a dual tale: one of a family binding its legacy around the immortal structure of story, and another about the adaptability of the media and its narratives to changing technologies and times. Either way, this is not merely business as usual in Hollywood but a case study in how culture, family, and capitalism intersect in America’s dream factory.
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